Prospect Spotlight: Howard Fleming(2020)

Male High School in Louisville has been a popular dark horse pick in the 7th region this season. The main reason for that designation is a loaded Junior class and excitement surrounding new Male coach Tim Haworth and his track record of winning regional titles with the type of athletes that Male traditionally has. Among the aforementioned Junior class is 6’4 combo guard Howard Fleming. I’ve been a big Howard fan since I first saw him during his freshman season at Male. When he’s at his best, he’s reminded me at times of a young D’Angelo Russell. Unfortunately, Fleming has been injured semi-frequently over the last two season. He’s currently trying to come back from an injury sustained over the summer. “Coming back from this injury kinda set me back on my off-season grind but I surely took this injury as an opportunity to learn the game more and raise my IQ so I feel I’ve gotten better at understanding the game more.” Despite his injury causing him to miss time, Howard says he has spoken to several schools over the course of the off-season and there has been a parade of low and mid major D1 schools rolling through the Male gym this fall.

Male is not going to sneak up on anyone this season in the 7th region. Howard has only set one goal for this Bulldog group, “The biggest goal for my team is to WIN!” Fleming is expecting a big season for himself. He told me, “I just want to prove to everybody why I’m going to be a D1 athlete. Not just make it to the D1 level, but to be one of the best to ever come out of my city and make a name for myself.” Howard likes the fact that he is ranked in the top 10 in the class and likes the challenge of having a target on his back as a top Junior in Kentucky. “I really don’t pay attention to rankings cause I was taught to just play every game like you got something to prove.” This season Howard does have something to prove. He has to show he can stay healthy this season and continue to develop his game to get to the next level. Fleming has a ton of potential and I hope to see him turn that potential into production this season.